Filmmaking / Directing : Qualities of a good director? by Nicole Punday

Tarantino tells a tale of similar concerns. He asked a known filmmaker (forgot who) how he could direct without having the technical knowledge. The filmmaker assured him all he had to do is describe what he wanted to the DP. Tarantino was certain he could do that.

As for actors, it's easy to spot a bad performance. A director could take acting lessons to learn process.

Thank you Tony and Pamela. Great advice!

Alexander Payne once told me that great directing is 10% talent and 90% finding your tribe and casting the right people.

Tony S. hit the most important issue: hiring people (particularly a DP) you can trust and communicate with who will save your butt; and then being able to spot actors with talent and being able to get the performances you need out of them.

I've worked with scores of directors. Some are incredibly technically versed and hands on; some rarely leave their chair at video-village. Some like to talk to the actors; some dread it. But what saves the smart and experienced ones is very early on in the Prep process they surround themselves with a team who can round out their directing skill set. For the others... well the wheels can only come so far off the train before the Producers and the money step in and fix things. Usually those sets have a pretty high turn over, first of crew, then the director if it comes to that.

One of the painfully real/funniest films I've seen about low budget directing is The Disaster Artist. It is well worth watching because it's like a worst case scenario to the Nth degree. And still the machine keeps rolling along (as long as the money keeps flowing).

Another important thing is having a great script that you understand inside and out and can communicate your vision for it to your team. The easiest scenes to block and shoot for a director are the ones that have conflict or drama, make sense and flow. The hardest scenes to block and get performances out of actors are the ones that didn't make sense when they were written. Know your script and in every scene be able to understand what each character wants, what they're risking to get it and what the ticking clock is. The short hand acronym for that is GSU - Goals, stakes, urgency. If you can understand and articulate the GSU in the scenes in your script, you're ready to direct.

Nicole, we all have to start somewhere, so the sooner you start to sooner you get experience. If it is your film (sort or feature) you should know how it is going to look. You get some people you trust (hopefully a good DP) and start shooting. Jump in the deep end, that is how you will learn! I have written, produced and directed 6 short films and I'm still learning what to do. But I have a good close crew that help out in every way!

Being a writer, I see the scenes I want to do, but I don't always know how I want the camera view to be, so I have some help from the crew on how to shoot it. I'm flexible with shoots but have final say. But have fun!!!! Don't stress over anything!! Good luck!!

Pamela, a "ticking clock" in a story is just a useful writing trick to keep the main character on task and motivated to keep moving forward. It gives a sense of urgency to each individual scene and to the story as a whole. The most on the nose example would be there's a bomb with a timer counting down and the hero has to do all the tasks to get to the bomb and disarm it before it goes off. But it can also be subtle (a father with Alzheimer's has one last Summer to reconnect with his daughter). Individual scenes can also have their own "ticking clocks" that add to the urgency. For example let's say your hero who has to disarm the bomb is in a diner. Two cops walk in. Your hero knows that any second their radios are going to crackle with his description and he's going to be caught. And at that moment the annoying person he's travelling with decides not to leave without his ham on rye or he's going to make a scene. Your character's Goal is to get himself and the annoying person he needs to accomplish his mission out of the diner without the ham on rye. The Stakes are if he's caught he won't make it to disarm the bomb on time and people will die. The Urgency is he only has moments before the radio alerts the cops to his presence AND the big clock is still ticking on that bomb.

Having Urgency in a scene is a great trick for subtly adding tension to it without having to hammer the nail on the head through dialogue.

Make films. Tell visual stories. Engage yourself in the complete filmmaking process and always remember actors are not puppets.

Nicole, Not trying to razz, just trying to open your eyes a bit. “I wasn’t afraid to jump in and produce without experience but there’s no creative skill involved in that.” Until you switch your thought process of whatever it is you have going on in your head to what you hope to achieve in this industry, this statement alone tells me you have no fucking idea what you’re talking about. Now... I’m sorry if this upsets you at all, that is why I encourage you to reach out and I’d be happy to chat with you over the phone (or in person if you’re based in LA) and give you any insights and info I have to help you out. You can email me anytime at: rynoryder@hotmail.com I wish you all the best!

I’m not afraid of upfront honesty at all. If I was not only would I be getting into the wrong industry, I’d be cowering from life. I am a complete novice in this industry and realize that I have a lot to learn. I jumped in to producing because I knew I had some strengths that were perfect for the job. I’ve been writing for years in various other mediums. At this point I have 4 completed short films and one partially completed feature length script. I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished so far and will accomplish much more. One of the detriments of living where I do is that the state doesn’t care about building the film industry so my knowledge is limited. I’m so appreciative of this forum and the many people here. Check your email. My email is imnic0001@yahoo.com

First you need a story that moves you and then you need a cinematic view of that story. You need to be able to cooperate and work with others. You need to be open & honest and listen to others on your project. Leave your ego at the door, relax and have a good time while you steer this boat.

Nicole, thank you for reaching out. And there are places in your state that ONLY encourage filmmaking and the creative. You have my info, please let me know when you’d like to schedule a call. All the best!

One thing I always do is value the opinions or advice of others. On the last film I produced that I also wrote I trusted my cast and crew completely. They knew that at the end of the day all I wanted was for all of us collectively to make the best film possible. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Filmmaking is not a solo endeavor but the collaboration of many creative and talented people. It’s all about teamwork.

I totally agree with everything @Doug puts forward. I add directing is a burning desire from within, the fuel to my fire is I am the catalyst betwixt the story and the actor, albeit I gained a skillset from five different schools. Some directors also understand technical process but its not necessary to light and sound....along with defining character. The internal guts and gore of a character along with what their outer persona is needs to be transplanted into the actor . End of. Ive done a lot of work for other peoples copyrighted stuff and now making my showreel and going solo.

As an actor, I try to be as prepared as possible and hope the director catch things in my performance that I might not be aware of doing and bring it up.

@Nicole. My memory lane aside ....I think you should go out and shoot a story you are passionate about as @Doug commented. I also AGREE with you that Producing needs no creativity and good on you, you went out and did it anyway. Producing takes balls and guts in todays world and I don’t understand why you should be knocked for stating its not creative. Someone could have ten degrees under their belt but could not do a Producers Schmooze in The Industries Shit Creek.

"Producing needs no creativity"??? Tell me I didn't read what I just read.

My experience producing 3 low budget, independent films, 2 with a $1000 budget and one with no budget, was as location scout and casting director in addition to producing. I made sure we stayed within the budget, met our deadline and that my cast and crew was fed well and kept happy. One of the shorts had a DP and Director that couldn’t see eye to eye on anything and was a nightmare but we still got it done and at $200 under budget at that. The other film was a dream. The DP and Director completely saw eye to eye, worked well together and finished shooting well before the deadline and under budget. I didn’t need to micromanage them because they did their jobs well. And I don’t believe in micromanaging anyway. To me that shows lack of confidence in my crew. Because I saved $200 on the first production I secured an additional $200 on the second production. So that’s my experience. No creativity needed in that. Just making sure the cast and crew stays focused and we follow the schedule.

I suggest you assist a couple of directors while working on a movie. Eventually you'll build experience. Always learn from someone better than one. Good luck!

Thank you Giovanni. Assistant directing was something I was considering.

Nicole, you MUST. Have good communication skills! I have done films where the director loses his control and the cast & crew lose confidence. Make sure to clearly explain what you want & make everyone understands you are in control. Be nice!

@Doug. I was not speaking in general about Producers. The lady stated in this thread .....it needed no creativity for her, and it worked and got results. I was not saying other Producers do not use creativity. I was merely agreeing that creativity is not a necessary strategy. Please do not take my words personally. Eg You could have two producers, Worlds and Poles apart, same as any job title in life. When I first decided to devote my life to Storytelling I knew one producer who had had his drink spiked in a tent at a high end trade fair. He did not make the important meeting in the morning and rivals got the cheap film deal. I was not knocking producers, but in showing my respect for what they often have to deal with, probably used the wrong words.

@Doug. Let me re phrase. Producers may well have to put creativity on a back burner, as real life antagonists put Sods Law in full swing. Producers need not only be creative, but wear a suit of steel and take up Psychology.

Asbestos underwear helps too.

I am not a director yet, and I am quite new in this business; but I think a director has a good understanding of the "meaning" of the screenplay. A director is more likely to be successful if he has written the script himself.

Problem-solving... Especially when it comes to finding creative ways to avoid having to say "fix it in post."

Well the essential thing is to be able to articulate your vision to the actors and crew and then trust their skills to get them to meet your vision. I would say learning basics on taking shots in a way that they can be edited together to get a film is all you need to start. To mitigate the risk, you can start shooting on a phone and make a zero budget film. Also you can't really define solid understanding as learning is a never ending process. So you keep learning as you go and keep getting better with every film you make. Hope that helps !

vision, listing skills, determination, and team player.

I think doing as much work as you can in pre-production makes a huge difference. Also, working closely with your Director of Photography, learning to articulate your vision, learning to be somewhat flexible and making sure your crew is taken care of and has what they need is a good start!